The first ever aftermarket warranty for electric vehicles (EVs) has been launched by Warrantywise in the UK.

Managing ongoing costs is a worry for many EV owners once their initial warranty expires. Now that there are more than 40,000 EVs on UK roads, large numbers of electric vehicles’ warranties are expiring or are set to expire.

To meet this new demand, Warrantywise has devised a used EV warranty, with the assistance of Quentin Wilson.

Wilson said: "Having owned several EVs over the last five years, and driven all the available models, it's time to bust the urban myths about electric cars. EVs work well for many drivers, and cars like the Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S, Renault Zoe, Citroen C-Zero, BMW i3 and i8 are reliable, popular and fashionable. At Warrantywise we're reassuring used EV drivers that there’s now no such thing as 'repair anxiety'."

What about battery repairs and replacement?

The new Warrantywise product does not cover battery repairs or replacements. This is because the manufacturers already offer extended cover for these costly and highly technical components.

You can find out more about the new used EV warranty from warrantywise.co.uk.

Electric cars on the rise in the UK

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), there are now approximately 37,000 plug-in cars, as well as 2,600 plug-in vans in the UK. There are also 8,700 charge points, according to Zap-Map.

Demand for EVs is increasing substantially. In 2014 there were an average of 500 cars registered each month. This year, that figure has increased to 2,400 per month.

By Craig Hindmarsh